Earth-penetrating point



1958 1.. E. HECKATHORN 2,847,921

EARTH-PENETRATING POINT Filed May 3, 1954 EARTH-PENETRATIN G POINT Loyd E. Heckathorn, Garden Grove, Califi, assignor to 'lowner Manufacturing Co., Santa Ana, Calif, a partnership Application May 3, 1954, Serial No. 427,033

Claims. (or. 97-78) This invention relates to earth-working means and more especially to earth-penetrating teeth structures and mounting devices therefor.

A general object of this invention is "to provide an earth-Working tooth construction which will readily penetrate relatively hard soil when drawn forward by an implement carrying the same, and which will tend to sharpen itself in use rather than to tend to become blunt and inoperative in use.

It is rather common in earth-working teeth to employ chisel-like devices, that is cutting devices having blades which are many times wider than they are thick. In use these blades, even with chisel-like forward ends, wear progressively duller as they are used.

I have discovered that earth-penetrating teeth which are in the form of somewhat elongated shanks that taper as they extend forward to their leading ends or tips, and are generally circular in end elevation and in the various cross sections of the shank, have long lifev and tend to sharpen themselves during use in soil, whether it be soft or hard, rather than to become dull. covered that elongated shanks of generally circular or equivalent cross section, and of forwardly tapered configuration may be somewhat blunt at their forward ends and yet during use will wear off their bluntness and become sharpened so as continuously to penetrate hard soil without becoming dull, such function continuing until the teeth are worn off well up to the carrier or mounting socket by which they are directly carried.

It is therefore another object of the invention to provide penetrating teeth for soil-working apparatus which are in the form of elongated, forwardly tapered shanks that have reduced forward extremities which are not necessarily sharp as manufactured, and are provided at such extremities and at the cross sections of the various principally operative portions of the shanks with transverse dimensions which, in transverse directions perpendicular to one another, are approximately equal. Such cross sections preferably, and from the standpoint of ease of manufacture, may be circular, but they may also be substantially square, inasmuch as the corners of such squared portions will rather quickly wear away so that the penetrating tips of the teeth will be sharpened in use; It is therefore an incidental object of the invention to produce tool structures having such substantial equal transverse dimensions, whether the cross sections of the operative portions of the teeth be strictly circular, or slightly ellip tical, or substantially square, so long as such shanks taper toward their forward ends and have their tips small enough to penetrate hard earth in which they are to be used and to wear off to sharpened points while being used, but these constructions exclude teeth which are so wide relative to their thickness as to be considered fiat or of chisel-like formation.

Other objects and features of construction of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in this art upon reference to the following specification and the accom- In fact, I have dis-.

aited b tates Fatent Q 2,847,921 Patented Aug. 19, 1958 ine panying drawing wherein certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a farm implement carrying earth-penetrating teeth and holders therefor constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of one of the teeth and a vertical section of the socket portion of a holder in which it is mounted in the structure of Fig. 1, this view being taken approximately from the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the penetrating tooth and holder of this invention, as indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 showing a slightly modified form of tooth and holder structure;

Fig. 5 indicates the end configuration of a possible form of earth-penetrating tooth which is substantially square in end elevation;

Fig. 6 indicates a modified rearward mounting portion which may be used to accommodate a corresponding socket in a mounting member or carrier, such mounting portion being somewhat flattened to prevent tendency to rotate in its socket; and

Fig. 7 is a further modified form of penetrating tooth which is approximately circular in cross section throughout and is provided with an enlarged rearward head or stem portion for mounting in a correspondingly shaped socket of a carrier device.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is illustrated an implement equipped with an earth-penetrating point and holder therefor of the present invention. This implement, briefly described, comprises a longitudinally extending horizontal frame 10 supported upon wheels 12 carried by an appropriate bent axle structure 14 adapted to be actuated by means of a hydraulic ram 15 working through a piston rod 16 to control the angularity of the axle 14, the forward end of the frame 10 being equipped with attachment means generally indicated at 17 for connection with a tractor or other power device for drawing forward the implement.illustrated. The rearward end of the frame 10 has rigidly mounted thereon one or a plurality of depending standards 18, of which each has on its lower end a transverse foot 19 which carries an earth-penetrating point 20 mounted in the forward end of a socketed holder or carrier 22. In a preferred form the carrier 22 is welded at 23 to the forward end of the foot 19.

As seen in Figs. 2 and 4, the earth-penetrating point 20 in is the form of a forwardly extending, forwardly tapering shank 24, which, as indicated in Fig. 3, is circular in cross section and has a circular tip 25. As indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, this tip 25 is somewhat blunt, whereas, as indicated in Fig. 4, it may be somewhat more pointed which is a condition that will be arrived at in use even if the blunt form of Fig. 2 be the initial form. In fact, in actual practice the tip 25 wears off to a much more pointed or sharpened configuration than illustrated in Fig. 4. Moreover, this same condition would be attained even if a blunt, square configuration 25a were initially employed, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

At the rearward end of the shank 24, the latter is integrally attached by way of a shoulder portion 26 to an integral heel or stem section 28 received in a socket 3d at the forward end of the carrier 22. In the form of Fig. 2 this socket is cylindrical as indicated at 30, as is the stem 23. However, as indicated in Fig. 4, the stem may be rearwarclly tapered as indicated at 28a and the socket may be correspondingly tapered as indicated at 36a. In either form the rearward stem portion is transversely drilled at 31 to receive an anchoring pin 32 which extends through side walls of a socket section 33 at the forward end of the holder 22, which socket section 33 of course contains the socket bore 30 receiving the stem J 28, or in the case of Fig. 4 the tapered socket bore 30a receiving the tapered stem 2811.

In the form of holder illustrated upper and lower walls of the carrier 22 extend rearward in the form of relatively wide wings 34 which are connected by an upstanding median web 35 disposed lengthwise of the holder 22; or two lateral webs 35 might be employed adjacent the edges of the wings 34. In any event the webs terminate forward of the foot 19 of the respective standard 18, in order that the ends of the wings 34 may overlie and underlie the upper and lower portions of the foot 19 adjacent the weld points 23. Also the end of at least one of the wings 34 is notched out as indicated at 36 in Fig. 3 so as to lie alongside portions of an upstanding strengthening bar 40 secured to the forward edge of the standard 18, at which points the end portion of the respective wing 34 may be further welded as indicated at 38 in Fig. 1. Thus, the holder 22 is ri idly secured to the standard 1%, and at the same time the respective earth-penetrating point 2% is rigidly and snugly secured within the socket member 33 at the forward end of the holder 22, regardless of the shape of the stem 22 or 8a. As illustrated in Fig. 6 the stern portion for a socket might be flattened to provide parallel sides 4-2, the holder 22 being provided with a corresponding socket shape.

If desired, as seen at the right end of Fig. 2, the carrier 22 may be provided with an annular shoulder 45 at the juncture of the socket portion 33 and the wing portions 34;, so that if the stem 28 is sufficiently long the rearward annular portion could abut against 3 ch shoulder 45, under which circumstances the annular connecting shoulder as between the shank 24 and the stem 28 might be conceivably omitted. Again, as illustrated in Fig. 7, the attachment portion of the penetrating point 29 might varied so that instead of the reduced stem portions and 28a of Figs. 2 and 4 a rearwardly tapered head 54 is provided which taper ex ends continuously rearward from the peripheral portion of the shoulder portion 26. Thus, this tapered head would snugly fit a correspondingly tapered socket in the socket section 33 of the corresponding carrier 22.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a slender, elongated, forwardly tapered earthpenetrating point whose forward end or tip 25, whether it be strictly circular as in Fig. 3, or square as in Fig. 5, or slightly varied from either of these, will penetrate the earth in use and will sharpen itself during use. In other words, so long as the tip 25 is small relative to the transverse section of the body portion of the shank 2 and so long as the transverse dimensions of the tip in directions perpendicular to each other are approximately equal, an earth-penetrating point is produced which never becomes dull, but progressively sharpens itself in use, and is useful until so much of the shank 24 is worn away as to develop an unduly large transverse dimension for the character of the soil being handled and also to approach too closely the end of the socket portion 33 of the holder 22. Thus, a non-dulling, self-sharpening tool has been developed which is vastly superior to the inherently duiling chisel-like blade type earth-working points commonly employed in the past.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 of the drawing, the transverse dimensions of the rearward end of the forwardly tapered shank 24 of the point or tooth 20 are at least equal to the corresponding transverse dimensions of the forward end of the forward portion of the holder 22. Consequently, wear of the holder is minimized due to the protection afforded by the rearward end of the shank as a result of the dimensional relation mentioned.

Another important feature of the invention resides in flaring the rearward end of the shank 2 ioutwardly and rearwardly just forward of the reanvardly-facing annular shoulder located at the junction of the shank 24 and the stem 28 so as to provide the forwardly-facing, outwardlyand-rearwardly-tlaring annular shoulder or ring 26. I

have found that this shoulder or ring 26 has an earth shattering and spreading effect which greatly minimizes Wear of the holder 22 by deflecting the earth outwardly way from the holder. Also, it has been found that providing the annular shoulder or ring 26 greatly improves the penetrating capacity of the tooth 2t} and reduces the power required to force it through extremely hard formations frequently encountered in subsoiling. This apparently is due to the fact that the earth shattering and spreading effect of the annular shoulder 26 tends forwardly thereof a substantial distance to minimize resistance to movement of the shank 24 of the tooth 20 through the earth, it being possible that this earth shattering and spreading effect may even extend forwardly of the tip 25 of the tooth shank It has not been possible to actually determine whether this latter phenomenon does occur, but this theory tends to provide a reasonable explanation of the reduced power required to move applicants tooth through the earth when the annular shoulder 26 is present.

Since other variations of the generic invention herein disclosed will become apparent to those skilled in the art, it is intended to protect all such changes as fall within the scope of the patent claims.

i claim as my invention:

l. in combination in an earth-digging tool: a holder adapted to be atlixed to a powered device, and having a forwardly directed socket to be disposed in an advancing digging position, said holder including a pair of spaced attaching wing members extending rearward from opposite sides of said socket member in flared relation and including a web member joining opposed edge portions of said wing members, the rear ends of said wing members being mountable on a powered device; a digging tooth having a mounting stem circular in cross section received in said socket, said tooth having an elongated shank circular in cross section extending forward integrally from said mounting stem to a forward earthpenetrating tip, said shank being tapered forward from said mounting stem to said tip to penetrate the earth upon movement forward in said socket by a powered device, said tooth having an annular shoulder at the junction between said shank and said mounting stem to engage against the forward end of said socket and position said tooth in the socket; and removable means through said socket and stem.

2. A tool as in claim 1 wherein the inner end of said stem in said socket is accessible between said wing and web members.

3. An elongated tooth movable forwardly through the earth along a path which extends generally in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said tooth, the latter being movable forwardly along said path by a holder having in its forward end a forwardly-facing socket, said tooth including a forwardly tapered shank adapted to penetrate the earth, and including at the rearward end of. said shank a rearwardly extending stem receivable by said socket, said tooth also including at the junction of said shank and said stem a rearwardly facing shoulder seatable on the forward end of the holder adjacent said socket therein to prevent rearward movement of said tooth relative to the holder, said shank flaring outwardly and rearwardly at its rearward end just forward of said shoulder so as to provide an earth shattering and spreading effect at the forward end of the holder to minimize wear of the holder, and said shank at its rearward end having a transverse dimension at least equal to the corresponding transverse dimension of the forward end of the holder.

4. An elongated tooth movable forwardly through the earth along a path which extends generally in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said tooth, the latter being movable forwardly along said path by a holder having in its forward end a forwardly-facing socket, said tooth including a forwardly tapered shank of circular cross section adapted to penetrate the earth, and including at the rearward end of said shank a rearwardly extending stern of circular cross section receivable by said socket, said tooth further including at the junction of said shank and said stem a rearwardly-facing annular shoulder seatable on the forward end of the holder adjacent said socket therein to prevent rearward movement of said tooth relative to the holder, said shank flaring outwardly and rearwardly at its rearward end just forward of said rearwardly-facing annular shoulder to provide said shank with a forwardly-facing annular shoulder which flares outwardly and rearwardly just forward of the forward end of the holder to produce an earth shattering and spreading effect to minimize wear of the holder, the maximum transverse dimension of said forwardly-facing annular shoulder being at least equal to the corresponding transverse dimension of the forward end of the holder.

5. An apparatus of the character described, including an elongated tooth movable forwardly through the earth along a path which extends generally in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said tooth, and a holder for said tooth movable forwardly along said path to move said tooth forwardly therealong, said holder having in its forward end a forwardly-facing socket, said tooth including a forwardly tapered shank adapted to penetrate the earth and including at the rearward end of said shank a rearwardly extending stem received by said socket, said shank flaring outwardly and rearwardly at its rearward end just forward of said stem to provide said shank with a forwardly-facing annular shoulder which flares outwardly and rearwardly just forward of the forward end of said holder to produce an earth shattering and spreading eflect to minimize wear of said holder during forward movement of said tooth and said holder along said path, the maximum transverse dimension of said forwardlyfacing annular shoulder being at least equal to the corresponding transverse dimension of the forward end of said holder to minimize wear of said holder during forward movement of said tooth and said holder along said path, and means connected to said. holder for moving said holder and said tooth forwardly along said path.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 137,569 Platt Apr. 8, 1873 169,324 Williams Oct. 26, 1875 247,148 Anderson Sept. 20, 1881 479,696 Bissell et al. July 26, 1892 534,222 Knapp Feb. 12, 1895 562,767 Jones June 23, 1896 819,390 Warren May 1, 1906 943,989 Nacke Dec. 21, 1909 1,651,031 Lindgren Nov. 29, 1927 2,694,354 Roberg Nov. 16, 1954 2,715,286 Saveson Aug. 16, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 66,874 Germany Feb. 2, 1893 438,151 Germany Dec. 7, 1926 

